5:11 am, March 10, 2011
I apologise if this month’s column sounds like it’s been written by that woman with the orange bob that ‘does the shops’ on the Beeb, but I have two important words to say: Customer service.
For some retailers, it is just that: Too hard. Six weeks before Christmas I tried to order some delightful presents online with the sole intention to make ‘the mother’ happy. I had found what I wanted, the price was right, they’d be here within three days and I dutifully tapped in my credit card details on the payment screen.
But did they come? No. Two weeks passed with no parcels on the doorstep, so emails were crafted and sent to the online company. No response. Phone calls followed, and after a whole host of verbally inept operators, I gave up. And I took my business elsewhere to the assuredly good retailer who happens to be Britain’s favourite retailer.
Now, perhaps I was a bit unreasonable. The snow did indeed ruin the country in more ways than one, meaning that Christmas presents did arrive a little later than expected. But did this other retailer I did business with fail? Not a bit of it. They guaranteed delivery, and made good on their promise – parcels for ‘the mother’ were here two days after I had made the order.
And this has got me thinking. Lexus (featured heavily in this issue) may well be held up as the pinnacle of customer service – and deservedly so, don’t get me wrong – but making sure you make your customers happy isn’t too hard.
Just make sure you deliver what you promise to deliver, be polite (even if you hate the customer’s guts), go out of your way to make the customer walk away happy, ensure there’s a courtesy car when the customer has booked one, and give them a hello when they return three months later to buy a new light bulb.
This is in no way a complete list, but if you remember these you should be fine. Follow them and you can live without fear of the orange-haired Mary Portas coming along with a TV camera and crew…
Who is Alex Goy?
He’s a motoring journalist with a lot to say. He also produces a brilliant podcast. Check it out by typing bit.ly/alexgoy into a browser
